Does House of the Dragon need more violence?

House of the Dragon’s third episode has had fans in a chokehold. The episode unraveled every storyline fans were waiting to see unfold, and all was laid bare for the world to see. Every single character was left in a tough spot by the end of its duration, in classic Game of Thrones fashion. However, there seemed to be one scene that left some members of the audience wanting more.
Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen with Caraxes in a still from House of the Dragon I Max
Many fans have complained that the spin-off series has not been as violent as its predecessor, and the opening scene of The Burning Mill perfectly captures their criticism. However, others argued that the scene was perfect in every way.

House of the Dragon’s Most Bone-Chilling Scene

The third episode of House of the Dragon, The Burning Mill, starts off with a squabble between the heirs of two rival families, the Bracken and the Blackwoods. On top of a dispute concerning land, they argued about who was in the right; the Greens or the Blacks.
A still from before the Battle of Burning Mill in House of the Dragon I Max
Children fighting their parents’ battles is never a good thing, and very quickly, swords and daggers are drawn among the small group. However, rather than showing an elaborate fight sequence, the show does something quite surprising.

At the very peak of tension, the scene cuts and shifts to a shot of one of the boys, lying dead in water, with a sword in his neck. As the camera pans out, the audience is forced to witness a field full of dead bodies. Not a single blade of grass in sight, and still creatures for as far as the eyes could see.

Not All Battles Need To Be Seen

Many diehard fans of the Game of Thrones franchise were quite upset with the approach the scene took. Rather than showing the entire battle, they simply cut to the brutal aftermath, not letting the audience quench their hungry appetites for violence. They have been arguing that the show has been shying away from its more violent and bloody roots to focus more on the political aspects of its story.
A still from The Battle of Burning Mill in House of the Dragon I Max
While the violence in the series is significantly less than that of its predecessor, many fans argue that it is not a bad thing. Elaborate, lengthy, and expensive fight sequences aren’t always needed in a show, and there is no denying that the approach the creators took with the opening of episode three of House of the Dragon was excellent.
Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra Targaryen in a still from S2 E3 of House of the Dragon | HBO
Many fans mentioned how much the show is saying by the simple shot. A bloodbath and mass casualties, all for the sake of politics. Numerous lives were lost because of petty squabbles. While an elaborate fight sequence could have given the same message, the effect would not have been the same.

Media literacy is required to understand the significance of this scene, something stan accounts tend to lack

— Wyatt Buckingham 🔮 (@BuckinghamWyatt) July 1, 2024

Cannot understand the people complaining about this. It’s a shockingly effective shot.
Cutting from some teenagers bickering to this aftermath says far more than a 15-minute battle set piece would. pic.twitter.com/T9NPbOIqfd

— glidus (or is it?) (@NotGlidus) July 1, 2024

“Why didn’t they spend the budget on a battle that involved no main characters and wasn’t elaborated on in the books????”

Would it have been cool? Sure. Is it realistic that they skipped it and just gave us this shot? Of course.

— Halo Plasmaposting (@Plasmaposting) July 1, 2024

Some folks think spectacle = story telling. I think this series, esp this season so far, is some great storytelling but folks have some dopamine issues requiring constant shock and awe.

— Tabb RM (@tabbPlomaritas) July 1, 2024

Honestly this was more impactful than a proper battle would’ve been. The cut made it more dramatic, how a miniscule chest thumping incident lead to a destructive end of such a scale.

— Arun Sharma (@Scientistx619) July 1, 2024

Did people forget that during the peak seasons of GOT (seasons 1-4) there were only two big battles shown and the rest were off screened? There’s definitely going to be more battles shown in HOTD but they simply do not have the budget to show every minor battle of the dance.

— Xian Uzumaki (@UzamakiXian) July 2, 2024

The opening would have been even more drawn out; focusing on characters we had never met before and did not care about. It would have been unnecessarily expensive for the series, and the direction they did decide to take gave their message in a far more chilling manner.

House of the Dragon is available for streaming on Max.